For the call to worship, just play ‘Give My Regards to Broadway’

Her church is presenting a Broadway musical with a religious message. The six-year-old
is mesmerized by music and stage presentations. The four-year-old is not.

Anyone who has had two children understands the mothers dilemma.

Her church is presenting a Broadway musical with a religious message. The six-year-old
is mesmerized by music and stage presentations. The four-year-old is not.

Wanting to encourage the older sons love for the arts as well as provide
a special bonding time with him, the mother buys tickets to the production.
She buys only two tickets.

The husband understands and goes along. He will stay home with the younger
son while Mother takes the older son out for the evening.

Explaining to the younger son why he will stay home while mother and older
brother go out will not be so easy.

She could wait until the last minute to tell both children and that would cut
down on the hassle time line. Still, she wants the older son to anticipate the
evening. Anticipation enlarges the experience.

Monday, Mom puts her plan into action.

“Lane, you and I are going to have a special evening this Friday. The
church is presenting a special musical presentation. They are going to have
actors and an orchestra and everything, and just you and I are going.”

Lane is duly impressed and excited.

“Luke will be staying with Daddy and they will have a special evening
here at home. You cannot tell Luke about our going to the production. Do not
say a word to him, okay? This is just for you and me.”

“Okay.”

Little Luke is playing in the backyard, oblivious to the plans to leave him
at home. But not for long.

Lane goes out the back door and his mother can hear him immediately proclaiming
to Luke, “Mother and I are going to a musical and you cant go.”

Obviously, Luke is brokenhearted. He comes into the house making his own kind
of dissonant music.

“Whats wrong?” Mother asks, not totally tipping her hand.

“I want to go to the party. Why cant I go to the party? Why does
Lane get to go to the party and I cant go? I want to go.”

The mother tries to comfort young Luke, then she decides to be honest –
at least partially honest.

“Luke, we are only going to church. You are getting to stay home and have
a special evening with Daddy.”

“Oh,” he sniffs, as he turns to go back outside, seemingly grateful
he will not be making the night out.

Why was Luke so quick to give up a night at church? If we could know that,
we could know the answer to one of the mysteries of the ages. Unfortunately,
every night, or morning, at church cannot be a Broadway production. Still, the
value of attending must certainly supercede the entertainment value of the meeting.
Maybe one of the temptations of church and worship today is that we try to pack
it with entertainment to get people to want to attend but offer little else
of spiritual substance. A church in North Hollywood now incorporates Broadway
show tunes into each of its times of worship “because they are uplifting.”
Attendance has quadrupled. There is no word on how conversions and discipleship
has fared.

Maybe the next time I preach, if I can just work in a little soft-shoe.

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Editorial

By Steve Horn
Corinth was by all historical accounts a very wicked place. When Paul established a church there, he was establishing a church in the midst of one of the most difficult cities of his day.
When we move to the letters called 1 and 2 Corinthians, we realize that the struggle in Corinth continued. … Continue Reading.